The coronavirus not withstanding, what I’ve ascertained from my 3rd extended regional visit in the last 10 years …is Arizona badly needs to have its own direct transportation links to Asia. And we’re not talking airplane rides here.
More than anything it’s a cultural & social perspective that’s now driving growth. As more of the 21st century’s changing economic realities take shape, the insular American political doctrine that slavishly continues to prioritize the welfare classes, whether statewide or national, will be a loser for everyone.
Just as 19th century European welfare schemes were the highly touted ideals for earlier American “social justice” models…the rise of Asia in the 21st century throws all that out the window. Asians simply do not coddle parasites.
Ditto Europe’s economic growth rates for the last 40 years compared to Asia’s; it parallels demographics. To wit: moronic European socialists actually believed that by allowing millions of fast-breeding Muslims into their economies, it would save their welfare schemes, as natives from the EU-gerontocracies retired to their plump stipends.
Actually it’s had the exact opposite effect; Europe is now headed faster into Ronald Reagan’s “dustbin of history”. The Russians have also figured this out. Ivan is now selling ‘em natural gas, but reinvesting that money in China’s Asian OBOR* projects.
Brexit’s dirty little secret is 100% Asia. It involves Britain’s long-standing commercial ties to the Asian & Indian hyper-growth super-regions. The Brits are ready to go buccaneering again; and now—no more Euro Nanny-State to interfere.
How does Arizona get in on this action? For starters: the Port of Guaymas, Sonora. Direct Pacific access will be critical. The port’s infrastructure and rail routes north to the US border are controlled by Grupo Mexico, the operating arm of Mexico’s 2nd wealthiest man, German Larrea Mota-Velasco.
Yet Tucson’s anti-business newspaper, and its red-diaper Enfant terrible, opinion writer Tim Steller, has never missed an opportunity to sanctimoniously trash Mota-Velasco, or somehow impugn his motives as works of the devil himself. Yep, it’s been a real exercise in “how to win friends and influence people.” Tucson’s business community has been strangely silent.
Fact is, Arizona badly needs Mota-Velasco; heck, northwestern Mexico needs the guy. We need an operating strategy at the highest AZ political levels, geared to these necessary transportation links south of the border.
It’s even more critical as 2 pending transportation developments come on-line. #1 is El Paso-Juarez business interests have realized the same strategy about the Port of Guaymas. They’re actively working for an improved, trucking-level highway route completing the remaining 10% Juarez-to-Hermosillo passage.
To wit: El Paso-Juarez is a gigantic, world-class design & manufacturing powerhouse that’s quietly arisen over the last 30+ years. I worked in it for 5 years; you have to see it to believe it.
The 2nd item involves east-west rail traffic through Tucson, connecting to freight that moves south-north into and out of Sonora. Efforts are now underway in California and northern Baja for a $70 million rebuild to an ancient desert rail line. It would connect the underserved (by rail) ports of San Diego, Tijuana’s expanding manufacturing nexus, and Ensenada Mexico’s new ocean port to Plaster City, CA. And linking up there with the Union Pacific Railroad, it could boost daily UP freight traffic through Tucson 30-50% by 2025.
Ultimately, all of this is being driven by developments in Asia. It’s not rocket-science.
*OBOR = One Belt One Road
Sellers is a South Park Republican who lives in Oro Valley. His background is federal tech-transfer commercialization.